What are Reflexive Pronouns: Definition, Rules and Examples

What are reflexive pronouns? These pronouns are used when the subject and object of a sentence are the same. They end in “-self” (singular) or “-selves” (plural), like myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves. They emphasise actions done by the subject itself, e.g., She taught herself French.

Understanding reflexive pronouns is crucial for clear and grammatically correct communication. In this guide, we will explore their definition, formation, rules, and common mistakes, along with useful examples to help students master their usage effectively.

What Are Reflexive Pronouns?

Reflexive pronouns are special pronouns used when the subject and the object of a sentence are the same person or thing. They end in -self (singular) or -selves (plural), such as myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves. These pronouns help emphasise that someone is performing an action on themselves.

For example, in She taught herself to play the piano, the reflexive pronoun herself shows that she is both the teacher and the learner. Similarly, in ‘They prepared themselves for the competition’, “themselves” emphasises that they did the preparation.

Also Read: What are Pronouns? Check Definition, Classification, Types

How Are Reflexive Pronouns Formed?

In our journey to learn ‘what are reflexive pronouns?’, we must also learn how to form these pronouns

These pronouns follow a simple and consistent pattern. They are formed by adding -self for singular pronouns and -selves for plural pronouns.

Singular Reflexive Pronouns

Singular reflexive pronouns are created by taking a singular personal pronoun and adding the suffix -self. They are used when the subject and object of a sentence refer to the same person or thing.

Personal Pronoun	Reflexive Pronoun	Example Sentence
I	myself	I taught myself to swim.
You	yourself	You should believe in yourself.
He	himself	He hurt himself while playing.
She	herself	She prepared herself for the test.
It	itself	The dog entertained itself with a toy.

Plural Reflexive Pronouns

Plural reflexive pronouns are formed by taking a plural personal pronoun and adding the suffix -selves. They are used when the subject and object of a sentence refer to the same group of people.

Personal Pronoun	Reflexive Pronoun	Example Sentence
We	ourselves	We enjoyed ourselves at the party.
You (plural)	yourselves	You should take care of yourselves.
They	themselves	They introduced themselves to the team.

Check out: Pronoun Exercise with Answers: PDF Available

List of Reflexive Pronouns with Example Sentences

Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object of a sentence refer to the same person or thing. They help make sentences clearer and grammatically correct. Here is a list of these pronouns with example sentences for your understanding:

Reflexive Pronoun	Example Sentence	Explanation
myself	I taught myself how to cook.	The subject I is also the object.
yourself	You should believe in yourself.	The subject ‘you’ and object are the same.
himself	He injured himself while running.	He is both the subject and object.
herself	She prepared herself for the exam.	The subject ‘she’ receives the action.
itself	The cat cleaned itself after eating.	The cat is both subject and object.
oneself	One must take care of oneself.	Used for general or formal statements.
ourselves	We enjoyed ourselves at the party.	The subject we refers to the same group.
yourselves	You should be proud of yourselves.	Used when talking to multiple people.
themselves	They introduced themselves to the new neighbors.	They are both performing and receiving the action.
myself	I challenged myself to finish the race.	Reflexive pronouns emphasize self-action.
yourself	You should reward yourself for your hard work.	Used to reflect on the same person.
himself	He saw himself in the mirror.	He is the subject looking at himself.
herself	She comforted herself after a long day.	The subject she is also the object.
itself	The machine shut down by itself.	Used to describe actions happening automatically.
oneself	One should respect oneself.	Used in formal/general contexts.
ourselves	We prepared ourselves for the journey.	We and ourselves refer to the same group.
yourselves	You all should take care of yourselves.	Used when addressing a group.
themselves	The students organized themselves into groups.	Students both perform and receive the action.
himself	He reminded himself about the meeting.	He and himself refer to the same person.
herself	She taught herself how to paint.	She both teaches and learns.

Check out:

Subject Pronouns Exercises with Answers

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How, When, and Why We Use Reflexive Pronoun

A reflexive pronoun makes sentences clearer and helps avoid confusion. They show that the subject and object are the same person or thing. To understand it more clearly, let us break down how, when, and why we use them.

How Do We Use Reflexive Pronoun?

A reflexive pronoun reflects back to the subject in a sentence. Instead of using a regular object pronoun, we use a reflexive pronoun when the subject acts on itself.

• I taught myself how to swim.
• She looked at herself in the mirror.
• The cat cleaned itself after eating.

Reflexive Pronoun follows a simple pattern: Myself: Ourselves (Plural) Yourself: Yourselves (Plural) For Singular Pronouns, we add -self, and for plural ones, we add -selves.

Fundamental Rules of Reflexive Pronoun

Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object of a sentence are the same. They add clarity and sometimes emphasis, but using them incorrectly can make sentences confusing. To understand it more clearly, let us break down the key rules with simple explanations and examples.

Rule 1: Subject and Object Must Be the Same

A reflexive pronoun is only needed when the person doing the action is also receiving the action.

Incorrect	Correct	Why?
She taught myself how to dance.	She taught herself how to dance.	The subject (She) must match the reflexive pronoun (herself).
They introduced them to the class.	They introduced themselves to the class.	Them refers to different people, but themselves shows the action is done to They.

If the subject and object are different, use a personal pronoun instead. Correct: She taught me how to dance. (Me refers to a different person, not she.)

Rule 2: When Reflexive Pronouns Are Necessary vs. Optional

Sometimes, reflexive pronouns are required for meaning. Other times, they just add emphasis.

Necessary Use (Without it, the sentence is wrong)	Optional Use (Used for emphasis)
He hurt himself while cooking.	I decorated the room myself (Emphasises I did it alone.)
She introduced herself to the guests.	We solved the problem ourselves (Adds emphasis but isn’t required.)

Removing an essential reflexive pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence. Incorrect: He hurt while cooking. (Sounds incomplete.) Correct: He hurt himself while cooking.

Rule 3: Reflexive Pronouns Cannot Be the Subject

Reflexive pronouns cannot stand alone as the subject of a sentence.

Incorrect	Correct
Myself will join the meeting.	I will join the meeting myself.
Himself went to the store.	He went to the store himself.

Always use a personal pronoun (I, he, she, we, they) as the subject. Reflexive pronouns can be added only for emphasis.

Rule 4: Reflexive Pronouns After Prepositions

Use reflexive pronouns after a preposition when referring back to the subject.

• Correct: She kept the news to herself. (She is also the receiver of the action.)
• Correct: He was talking to himself in the mirror.

If the preposition refers to someone else, use a personal pronoun Incorrect: He sat beside himself. Correct: He sat beside her. Incorrect: They sent a gift to themselves. Correct: They sent a gift to him.

Rule 5: Common Phrases and Idioms with Reflexive Pronouns

English has many phrases that use reflexive pronouns in a special way.

Expression	Meaning	Example
By myself	Alone	I traveled by myself.
Help yourself	Take what you want	Help yourself to some snacks.
Make yourself at home	Feel comfortable	Please make yourself at home.
Behave yourself	Act properly	The teacher told the kids to behave themselves.

Why We Use Reflexive Pronouns?

Reflexive pronouns play an important role in English grammar because they help us express actions where the subject and the object are the same. But why do we actually use them? Let’s break it down in a simple and clear way!

1. To Show That the Action Comes Back to the Subject

Sometimes, the person doing the action is also the one receiving it. In such cases, we use reflexive pronouns to make it clear that the subject and the object are the same.

Examples:

1. I cut myself while cooking. 

(I am both the one doing the cutting and the one getting hurt.)

2. She looked at herself in the mirror. 

(She is both looking and being looked at.)

Without reflexive pronouns, these sentences wouldn’t make sense. Imagine saying I cut me while cooking. It sounds odd, right? That’s where reflexive pronouns help.

2. To Emphasise That Someone Did Something on Their Own

Reflexive pronouns can also be used to stress that a person did something without help from others. This adds a sense of independence or pride to the sentence.

Examples:

1. He fixed the car himself. 

(No one else helped him.)

2. We decorated the house ourselves for the party. 

(We didn’t hire anyone to do it.)

If we remove the reflexive pronouns in these sentences, they would still be correct but lose their emphasis.

3. To Show That Someone Did Something for Their Own Benefit

Sometimes, we do things for ourselves rather than for someone else. Reflexive pronouns make this clear.

Examples:

1. I made myself a cup of coffee. 

(I made it for me, not for someone else.)

2. She bought herself a new book. 

(She bought the book for her own reading, not for anyone else.)

Helps in avoiding confusion. If we just say, She bought a new book, we don’t know if she bought it for herself or for someone else.

4. With Certain Verbs That Require Reflexive Pronouns

Some verbs naturally go with reflexive pronouns. They wouldn’t sound right without them.

Examples:

1. He introduced himself to the new classmates. 

(You can’t say He introduced him to the new classmates. That would mean he introduced someone else.)

2. Enjoy yourself at the party! 

(It is an expression to tell someone to have fun.)

5. In Prepositional Phrases to Avoid Confusion

We also use reflexive pronouns when referring back to the subject in phrases with prepositions like by, to, for, or with.

Examples:

1. She was talking to herself in the mirror.

2. He kept the secret to himself.

Without reflexive pronouns, these sentences might suggest that the action is directed toward someone else. Saying ‘He kept the secret to him’ would make no sense!

6. To Make Sentences Clearer and More Logical

One of the biggest reasons for using reflexive pronouns is to make sentences clear. Without them, a sentence might sound confusing or even change meaning completely.

Example:

1. John saw himself in the mirror. 

(John is the one looking at himself.)

2. John saw him in the mirror.

(This could mean John saw another person in the mirror, not himself!)

Common Mistakes to Avoid when Using Reflexive Pronouns 

When understanding what are reflexive pronouns, we must also be aware of the mistakes to avoid while using these pronouns.

1. Reflexive Pronouns Used in Place of Subject or Object Pronouns

One of the most common errors is using reflexive pronouns as subjects or objects when they are not needed.

Common Mistake	Correct Sentence	Explanation
Myself went to the store.	I went to the store.	Reflexive pronouns cannot be used as subjects. Always use subject pronouns like I.

2. Using Non-Standard Reflexive Pronoun Forms

Some words that sound like reflexive pronouns are actually incorrect and should never be used.

Common Mistake	Correct Sentence	Explanation
Hisself completed the work.	He himself completed the work.	Hisself is incorrect; the correct word is himself.

3. Using Reflexive Pronouns with By for Independence

Adding by before a reflexive pronoun is used to emphasise that someone did something alone, without help.

Common Mistake	Correct Sentence	Explanation
She completed the project by her.	She completed the project by herself.	By + reflexive pronoun is used to show that someone did something independently.

4. Reflexive vs. Intensive (Emphatic) Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are often confused with intensive pronouns. Intensive pronouns are used only to add emphasis and can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Common Mistake	Correct Sentence	Explanation
He checked the documents himself.	He himself checked the documents.	Himself is an intensive pronoun used for emphasis, not reflexive use. If removed, the sentence still makes sense.

5. Reflexive vs. Reciprocal Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns reflect the action back to the subject, while reciprocal pronouns (each other, one another) show an exchange of action between two or more people.

Common Mistake	Correct Sentence	Explanation
They hugged themselves.	They hugged each other.	Reflexive pronouns mean the subject and object are the same, while reciprocal pronouns show a mutual action.

Thus, by understanding reflexive pronouns and applying them correctly, students can improve their grammar and writing, making their sentences more accurate and effectve.

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